Carpet stretcher and tacker



(No Model.) 5

G. W. ANSLEY.

CARPET STRETGHER AND TAGKER.

No. 505,546.. Patented Sept. 26,1 8 93..

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. ANSLEY, OF MEDICAL LAKE, WVASHINGTON.

CARPET STRETCHER AND TACKER.

SPECIFIOATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 505,546, dated September 26, 1893'.

Application filed April 3, 1893- Serial No. 468,865. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE WV. ANSLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Medical Lake, in the county of Spokane and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combined Carpet Stretcher and Tacker; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to combined carpetstretchers and fasteners or tackers of that class employing means for automatically feeding the tacks to the driving device.

It is my object to provide a simple and convenient and thoroughly efficient tool of this description.

To the ends indicated, said invention consists in the combined stretcher and tacker having the construction and combination of parts hereinafter specified and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1, is a perspective view of my device. Fig. 2, is a longitudinal section thereof. Fig. 3, is a detail bottom view, and Fig. 4, is a detail perspective view ofv the driver, detached.

Referring to the drawings by letter, A designates the shank or handle portion of my device, preferably, but not necessarily made of wood, to one of whose ends is attached the metal box-like part B having a top, two sides and an end, but open at the bottom. The lower edge of the sides are curved as shown, so that the handle A will extend from the box at an incline upward. On the lower outer corner of each side of the part B, is formed a spur b to engage the carpet, to enable the same to be stretched. In the upper side of the handle A extending from near the upper end to the extreme lower end, is a narrow groove a, which is a little wider than the shank of a carpet tack, and of sufficient depth to receive the same and permit its uninterrupted movement downward. A like opening or slot 7) is provided through the upper side of the top-part B, which is in line with and forms a continuation of the groove a.

Placed over the openings at and b is a flat tube 0, wide enough internally to receive the heads of tacks, and having in its under side a slot 0 just wideenough to permit the passage of thetaok shanks, which slot 0 registers with said openings. Near its upper end the tube has an opening in its upper side, through which tacks can be passed into the tube. Said tube is. held in position by a strap or loop (1 near its lower end, and by a headed screw d near its upper end. From the lower end of the opening Z) the tacks are discharged to a vertically movable plunger or driver D, at the outer end of the part B, which consists of a cylindrical rod passing through a round opening in the upper side of said part, and having lateral extensions or lugs e, e that engage grooves in the inner face of such side of part B. Extending rearwardly from the lugs e are two thin plates f, f, separated from each other by a space f, a little greater than the thickness of the tack-shank and between them and the bottom of the driver D, is a space or recess f 2 large enough to receive the head of the tack. When the driver D is in a raised position, the plates f rest against the under side of the top of part B, with its space f registering with the opening I), and they operate to insure the passage of a tack into position beneath the driver. As an additional provision to insure this guidance of a tack, I place an extension f on the lower end of the driver, whose under face is beveled or inclined upward.

The driver D after being depressed to drive a tack is raised by means of a coiled spring 9 encircling it, whose lower end bears'against the upper side of the part B and whose upper I end bears against the collar g on the upper end of the driver. To prevent injury to the spring when compressed by the compression of the driver, I provide on the upper side of part B, a collar or tubular extension, in which thelower end of the spring is seated, and into which it is compressed when the driver is moved downward.

To feed tacks, one at a time, to the driver, I employ the following means. Pivoted to the under side of the top part B is a rotary disk H having in its edge two notches h, h, of diiferent size, one of which at a time co-opcrates with the opening Z). This disk eX- tends across the latter and so checks the descent of the tacks, except when it is turned so as to bring its co-operating notch in the line of the tacks, whereupon one will be engaged by the notch, and as the disk is turned, will be carried along the opening I) until it is free to pass on to the driver. During this feeding of the tack, the solid edge of the disk will engage the tack presented to it and thus hold it and the tacks following it in the line, from moving. This feeding motion of the disk is made automatic by means of a bellcrank leverI pivoted at its angle to the inner face of one of the sides of the part B, and having one arm connected to the under face of the driver and the other arm engaging the other notch h in the disk II. The arms of the leverI are of such relative length that the stroke or movement of the driver operates to impart just the. amount of movement of the disk necessary to perform its functions. The movements of the disk and driver are timed, so that the feeding takes place during the rise of the driver, a tack thus being ready for use when it reaches its raised position. I provide the notches h, h of unequal size to enable the device to feed two sizes of tacks, it only being necessary to change from one to the other to disengage the arm of the lever I from the disk then to turn the disk to place the other notch in proper position relative to the opening 1/ and then to re-engage the leverI with the notch it that becomes the non-feeding one. I also provide for feeding by hand instead of automatically, by extendingan arm Jfrom the tube 0 through a slot in the upper side of the part B into engagement with the non-feeding notch h, and making said tube longitudinally reciprocable. A button or knob c is provided on its upper end to enable its movements to be conveniently given it. The reciprocation of the tube, it will be seen, will oscillate the disk. It will also be seen that this connection between the disk and tube will cause a reciprocation of the latter when the disk oscillates automatically, J

with the result of assisting the downward feed of the tacks in the guide ways described.

The use of the device will be readily understood. The guideway is filled with tacks with the points downward, and the heads in the tube 0. The carpet is moved into place by the use of the spurs b, and the top of the driver is struck with a hammer, moving it downward and causing it to drive the tack previously placed beneath it. The tool is then drawn from the tack, whose head is in the re cess f this being provided for by notching the lower edge of the outer end of the part B. Attention maybe directed to the fact that the driver on its front side bears against the said end of the part B, so that said end forms a guide for the tack, and the tack is permitted to be driven very close to the wall.

What I claim to be new is I. In combination with the part having the guideway, a driver having a recess in its under side to receive a tack head, and guides carried by it leading from said guide way, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a driver having a guide-way leading to it, a tack feeding device in said way actuated by the driver a reciprocable tube covering said guide-way and slotted on its under side and connections between said device and said tube.

- 3. In combination, the handle A, the open bottom part B, the guide-way in said parts, the feed device co-operating therewith, the driver having guiding extensions on its lower end leading to a recess to receive the tackhead, the lugs on the driver engaging grooves in the sides of the part B, the notch in the outer end of said part, and the spurs on the lower front corners of said part, substantially as shown and described and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE W. ANSLEY. lVitnesses:

EMILY IIALLETT, STANLEY Hannnrr. 

